The shooting rampage in Newtown, Conn., reignited the long-dormant debate over the place of firearms in American society, with gun control advocates and political leaders demanding solutions to gun violence but stopping short of proposing sweeping new legislation.

"I hope and trust that in the next session of Congress there will be sustained and thoughtful debate about America's gun culture and our responsibility to prevent more loss of life," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., author of a 1994 assault weapons ban, which lapsed in 2004.

President Obama brushed away tears as he offered condolences to the families of the victims.

"We're going to have to come together and take meaningful action to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics," the president said.

Feinstein's assault weapons ban was adopted in the outraged aftermath of the 101 California St. shooting spree in San Francisco in 1993. Eight people were fatally shot before the gunman took his own life. The ban outlawed 19 types of military-style rifles as well as high-capacity ammunition magazines. Feinstein has called for reintroduction of an "updated" assault weapons ban.

But Friday's horrific slaughter did not, at least on the day of the attack, stir politicians to insist on tighter controls over the sale of weapons. Even gun-control organizations like the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence merely called for a discussion.

"We're a better country than this," said Brian Malte of the Brady Campaign. "We're optimistic that the American people have had enough. We're optimistic the American public wants to have this conversation, that voices of Americans will be heard throughout the country after what happened today."

Obama's spokesman, Jay Carney, responded to questions about gun control by saying "I don't think today is that day" for such a discussion.

But New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an advocate for gun restrictions, said now is exactly the time to act: "Calling for 'meaningful action' is not enough. We need immediate action. We have heard all the rhetoric before."

The National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade organization for U.S. gun manufacturers, importers, wholesalers and retailers, has its headquarters in Newtown. It released a statement saying, "Our hearts go out to the families of the victims of this horrible tragedy in our community." But spokesman Michael Bazinet declined further comment "out of respect for the families, the community and the ongoing police investigation."

The guns recovered at the scene, two pistols and a semi-automatic rifle, are the types that have become standard weapons of recent mass-shooting incidents. The two pistols, a Glock and a Sig Sauer, are popular with law enforcement officers and the military.

The semiautomatic rifle, a variation of the AR-15 (which is modeled on the U.S. military's Vietnam-era standard M-16), is made by Bushmaster in Ilion, N.Y. Capable of holding a 30-round magazine, it was the weapon of choice of the D.C. sniper, John Allen Muhammad, who was executed in Virginia for his reign of terror in 2002 in which he killed 10 victims at random along with his young accomplice, Lee Boyd Malvo.

Because the Connecticut shooter, Adam Lanza, killed so many people in such a short time, firearms experts wondered whether he used high-capacity magazines - the kind favored by James Holmes in his movie theater shooting spree in Aurora, Colo., in July, where 12 people were killed.

Six states, including California and New York, either ban or limit the use of high-capacity magazines.

Most models of the Glock and Sig Sauer have a normal magazine capacity of up to 15 rounds, according to the manufacturer's websites. With larger magazines, the capacity can rise above 30 rounds.

"Whether Glock or Sig Sauer, it's the number of rounds and ease of reloading that makes them so lethal," he said. "If you can reload and you have four-five magazines, you've got firepower to unload a hundred rounds."

With such weapons, Diaz said, a mass murderer doesn't "need a hundred-round drums" similar to what Holmes used in Aurora.